Goals – they’re important to have. Goals give you vision, a pathway and something to strive for. If the thought in your head today is, “I’m not where I want to be”, take comfort in the fact that you are not alone in this thinking. But don’t get too comfortable. I love comfort but challenge is important in order to grow. And growing pains don’t always feel great.
My goal for writing is always to be a better writer. In the last couple years, re-writing has become a key ingredient to that goal. My re-writing focus began with my play Blue back in 2008 and carried through to my screenplay Home in 2011. Play Ball went through 5 re-writes before it won the Kairos Prize in 2013. My most recent completed re-write is the screenplay Twig. The current re-write focus is on my play Animal. I began writing Animal in 2009 and recently read the first draft of this play. I barely recognize any of it.
The next re-write will be my screenplay The Porch which I wrote in quick fashion at the beginning of December 2013. This brings me to my next point: when you have a goal – a purpose before you – you can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it. I entered The Porch in the Chronos Prize. And although I did not advance, my encouragement came from the fact that the goal was to challenge myself to complete a script in a tight time frame. Mission accomplished. The next goal – bring that script to another level. Re-write.
Failure is never trying. Failure is giving up after having tried. Failure is when you stop believing in yourself. Failure precedes success. And success is having goals and striving forward. If you don’t know what that goal is, keep looking for it. Don’t settle. Don’t get too comfortable. And don’t beat yourself up. Just know that this is your life. Be courageous.
“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Top of the morning 2 u sport! Keep on!!!
Yes! Very encouraging and inspiring words. Thank you!
“The darkest hour is always before dawn” was the phrase that came to mind when reading your musings today. Great thoughts Romeo – articulated in a very inspiring way. Wishing you the best as you move forward. I admire your self-discipline!
And our goals don’t have to be these huge tasks – we can start off taking little steps, one at a time, until we suddenly realize that change has indeed occurred. Thanks for the inspiring “musings”.
Thank you so much for the encouragement that this brings me at this time in my life… all the thinking in the world won’t bring success. I need to start trying. Thanks!! 🙂
Right on, Romeo. I’d add one more thing. As we journey along this road of writing, re-writing, improving our skill, we not only become better writers, but we are in the process transforming into people of character ourselves, people of courage, people of hope, people of perseverance. It is a journey worth taking.
There are a lot of artistic people I know who could get in the habit of editing they’re work or even better have someone else critique their work before it reaches an audience.